Terrorgheist

Beasts of doom and darkness, Terrorgheists blot out the sky as they fall upon their victims in a flurry of massive wings and dripping fangs. With a scream that cuts through warriors’ souls, these mighty creatures swoop into battle, often with blood-mad abhorrants clinging to their backs.[1]

Nightmare creatures born of the oldest Shyish sorceries, Terrorgheists are undead monsters bound to the will of the abhorrant kings. Heaving carcasses of rotting muscle and cracked bone, these terrible beasts have a thirst for blood equal to that of their vampire masters. In battle, they soar over the press of combat, their otherworldly senses seeking great foes to slay. Especially large enemies are latched onto, the Terrorgheist sinking its fangs into warm flesh and drinking deep. The foul creatures strengthen visibly as they savour this dark feast, their ragged flesh regenerating and wounds disappearing, to the dismay of their enemies.[1a]

A Terrorgheist’s fangs are far from its deadliest weapon, and the beast’s scream is as unmistakable as it is devastating. A high-pitched wail, it cuts across the battlefield, shattering the minds of nearby prey. Those not slain outright are reduced to gibbering wrecks, howling as blood runs freely from their ears and eyes.[1a]

There are many tales about the origins of the Terrorgheists. Some say they were once the noble mounts of vampires, kept alive long after death by dark magic. Others believe they came to Shyish from Ulgu to feed on death itself, but were enslaved by Nagash and gifted to his vampire servants. All that is known for sure is that the last living Terrorgheists have long since vanished. Now they exist only as undead slaves, to be corrupted and controlled by those with the power to master them. They inhabit dark haunts throughout the realms, in towers and caves where they hang upside down in repose. Hundreds of monstrous bats are drawn to these places, the creatures burrowing inside the sleeping Terrorgheist. When the monster is slain, these lesser bats burst forth. If one of the bats is caught, it can be taken to the king and nourished with his blood and magic, until it grows into a new Terrorgheist.[1a]

A Terrorgheist wracks its foes with its Skeletal Claws and rips them in half with its Fanged Maw. Its piercing Death Shriek can freeze the life blood of those that hear it, killing them where they stand.[1b]